The news
The Surgeon General of the United States, Dr. Vivek H. Murthy, issued a public advisory on Tuesday warning of the risks of social media use for young people. In a 19 page reportDr. Murthy noted that while the effects of social media on adolescent mental health are not fully understood and that social media may benefit some users, “there are many indicators that social media may also have a significant risk of harming the mental health and well-being of children and adolescents.
The surgeon general called on policymakers, tech companies, researchers and parents to “act urgently” to guard against potential risks.
Why it matters: Young brains are especially sensitive to social media.
“Teenagers aren’t just smaller adults,” Dr. Murthy said in an interview with The New York Times about the advisory. “They’re in a different phase of development, and they’re in a critical phase of brain development.”
The report notes that “frequent social media use may be associated with distinct changes in brain development in the amygdala (important for emotional learning and behavior) and the prefrontal cortex (important for impulse control , emotional regulation and moderation of social behavior), and may increase sensitivity to social rewards and punishments.
The report also cites research indicating that up to 95% of teens said they used at least one social media platform, while more than a third said they used social media “almost constantly”. Additionally, almost 40% of children between the ages of 8 and 12 use social media, even though the minimum age requirement for most sites is 13.
Researchers struggle to understand the impact of social media use on adolescent mental health. The data is not straightforward and indicates that the effects can be both positive and negative. For example, social media allows some young people to connect with others, find a community and express themselves.
But social media is also teeming with “extreme, inappropriate and harmful content,” the advisory notes, including content that “normalizes” self-harm, eating disorders and other destructive behaviors. Cyberbullying is endemic. And the increase in social media use coincided with a decline in exercise, sleep and other activities considered vital for brain development.
Additionally, social media spaces can be particularly challenging for young people, the advisory adds: “In early adolescence, when identities and feelings of self-esteem are being formed, brain development is particularly sensitive. social pressures, peer opinions and comparison with peers.
Background: The heightened surveillance comes amid a mental health crisis among young Americans.
The advisory joins a growing number of calls to action relating to teenagers and social media, as experts study the role it could play in the current crisis. teen mental health crisis. Earlier this month, the The American Psychological Association has released its first-ever guide to social mediarecommending parents keep a close eye on teen usage and tech companies reconsider features like endless scrolling and the “Like” button.
And then: The surgeon general calls for immediate action.
In the opinion, Dr Murthy expressed an “urgent need” for clarity on several research fronts. They include the types of social media content that cause harm; whether particular neurological pathways, such as those involving reward and addiction, are affected; and what strategies could be used to protect the mental health and well-being of children and adolescents.
“Our children have become unwitting participants in a decades-long experiment,” Dr. Murthy wrote. “It is essential that independent researchers and technology companies work together to rapidly advance our understanding of the impact of social media on children and adolescents.”
Dr Murthy also acknowledged that, until now, “the burden of child protection has fallen primarily on children, adolescents and their families”.
“It’s a lot to ask of parents – to take a new technology that is rapidly evolving and fundamentally changing the way children see themselves” and asking parents to deal with it, Dr Murthy told The Times. “So we need to do what we do in other areas where we have product safety issues, which is to put in place safety standards that parents can rely on, that are actually enforced.